In an earlier blog post I mentioned Al Nassma, the chocolate company based in the United Arab Emirates that has partnered with the Austrian chocolate maker Josef Manner in introducing the first milk chocolate made with camel's milk.

Last week one of our Santa Barbara Chocolate Middle East agents, Nick, sent an extensive sample pack of all different types of chocolate from Al Nassma, including camel's milk chocolate.

I really enjoy the flavor of the camel's milk chocolate and find it to be a great alternative to traditional milk chocolate. Al Nassma's camel's milk chocolate has a pleasant cocoa flavor with balanced sweetness and a rich, buttery, milk flavor with a lingering slight acidity. I think Al Nassma has a winner in this new niche chocolate. Some of the other samples Nick sent included dates stuffed with pistachios and assorted nut pastes enrobed in milk and dark chocolate (a favorite combination of mine since I was a kid). He also included the AlNassma camel's milk chocolate with orange and macadamia - my favorite from Al Nassma. The camel's milk chocolate with orange and macadamia has very fragrant orange oil and orange zest along with nibbed macadamias. This combination balances perfectly with the full flavor of camel's milk chocolate (slightly crunchy texture, smooth melt and big orange flavor).

Camel's milk is lower fat with a higher mineral content then cow's milk. Interestingly it is also much higher in vitamin C, doesn't curdle and is easier for individuals that are lactose intolerant to enjoy.

I have a lot of respect for Al Nassma and their extra fine chocolate creation. I think this will probably be a big hit for them and will likely go into the chocolate history books as a great chocolate withingenious marketing.